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Tossing, turning, and snoring night after night not only causes you to be too tired to enjoy your daily activities, but also negatively impacts your overall health. These symptoms may indicate that you have a sleep disorder called sleep apnea, which prohibits you from getting good quality sleep and can cause major long-term health consequences and even early death. Fortunately, while treatment for this condition used to be uncomfortable and invasive, there are effective, comfortable dental treatments available for sleep apnea. Dr. John Palmer at Palmer Distinctive Dentistry in Greenville, SC can provide dental treatment for sleep apnea to help you stop snoring and finally get the good night’s sleep you need.

Types of sleep apnea

There are several types of sleep apnea and each have different causes. The most common types of sleep apnea are:

Obstructive sleep apnea: In this type of sleep apnea, your throat muscles, mouth tissues, or tongue obstruct your breathing while you are sleeping, causing your airway to become blocked and insufficient oxygen to reach your brain and organs

Complex sleep apnea syndrome, or treatment-emergent central sleep apnea: This type of sleep apnea occurs when someone has a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea

Sleep apnea reduces the amount of oxygen your body and brain receive while you are sleeping and the long-term health impacts from this can be devastating. In addition to not feeling your best, sleep apnea is associated with cardiovascular disease, strokes, depression, diabetes, and increased risk of major accidents such as falls and car crashes, among other issues.

Sleep apnea symptoms

The different types of sleep apnea have similar symptoms. Your doctor can evaluate your symptoms and refer you for sleep testing at home to determine whether you have sleep apnea and, if so, what type you have.

Common signs that you may have sleep apnea include:

Awakening frequently at night or inability to stay asleep

Snoring, jerking your body, or gasping for air while you are sleeping

Excessive sleepiness or inability to focus during the day

Headaches in the morning

Mood changes such as depression or irritability

Causes of sleep apnea

The cause of sleep apnea varies, depending on the type of sleep apnea you have. In central sleep apnea, your brain does not signal your breathing muscles properly to alert your body to breathe, so your blood oxygen levels drop due to not taking a breath. In obstructive sleep apnea, the muscles and tissues in your mouth and throat relax and narrow or close your throat, which blocks the passage of air to the lungs. When your brain senses that you aren’t receiving enough oxygen, it signals a burst of adrenaline, which may wake you up temporarily or cause you to gasp, choke, or snort. This cycle repeats many times per hour all night long.

Sleep apnea treatment

Historically, the most common form of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea was a CPAP machine, which helps keep the airway open while you sleep. However, CPAP machines are loud, bulky, and involve an invasive, uncomfortable face mask while you sleep, which causes many people to abandon using them.

Effective dental treatments for obstructive sleep apnea are now available that don’t involve cumbersome face masks or noisy machines. Instead, your dentist custom-designs a dental appliance that fits comfortably in your mouth. You only wear it while you sleep, and it keeps your mouth in an optimal position to prevent your airway from becoming blocked.

At Palmer Distinctive Dentistry in Greenville, SC, Dr. John Palmer provides you with more than snoring solutions. Treating your sleep apnea can help restore your feeling of well-being by bringing more energy and health to your days and restful sleep to your nights. Your bed partner will also appreciate the quiet, more restful slumber. Whether you are a new or existing patient, call Dr. Palmer at (864) 332-4113 today to start getting a good night’s sleep.